The invention relates to a partial pressure cuff seal for utilization in a full pressure suit.
Conventional pilot protective equipment provides primarily either high altitude protection or low altitude/high acceleration protection. Typically, the equipment used for these situations are full and partial pressure suits which provide pressure protection above 62,000 feet altitude for an extended period of time, and anti-G suits used in conjunction with unpressurized helmets, oxygen masks and torso counter-pressure garments which provide limited altitude protection (&lt;62,000 feet) and limited acceleration protection (&lt;3+G.sub.Z). The low altitude/high acceleration equipment configuration is currently utilized in fighter aircraft applications.
The conventional protective equipment for fighter pilots has remained essentially the same since the introduction of jet fighter aircraft. This equipment consists of a separate helmet, oxygen mask, anti-G suit, a coverall, and, more recently, torso counter-pressure garments, as required. With the recent advent of high performance fighter aircraft capable of sustained high acceleration (9+G.sub.Z) and high altitude (+50,000 feet) flight air crew protection has become the major limitation in aircraft operation. This is due to both current standard equipment design limitations and lack of integration by design.
One major limitation to fighter air crew performance is the conventional full pressure gloves utilized with full pressure suits. While these gloves are safe and reliable, they typically lack the flexibility and tactility desired for many pilot operations. A more detailed discussion relating to full pressure glove drawbacks and the need for future development with particular attention to astronaut extra-vehicular activity (EVA) is found in "EVA Gloves: History, Status, and Recommendations for Future NASA Research", Final Report April 1990, NASA JSC-23733, pages x-xii and 28-34.
Partial pressure gloves provide better hand tactility and mobility for the wearer's hand than full pressure gloves, since they are designed to be conformal and snug fitting. Also, partial pressure gloves are cooler since the hands are exposed to ambient air. As opposed to the full pressure glove which comprises a compartment that envelops and applies air pressure to the hand, the partial pressure glove has a separate bladder-like compartment which is pressurized in order to tighten the glove and apply direct mechanical pressure to the hand. Unfortunately, heretofore it has been impractical to integrate partial pressure gloves with full pressure suits due to the fundamental differences in principles of operation between full and partial pressure garments and the lack of adequate sealing devices or techniques at the cuff areas of the sleeves of the full pressure suits for coupling with partial pressure gloves.